Making a Difference: FoG Volunteers

The Foundation of Goodness has always been blessed by an unceasing flow of volunteers who, having been inspired by the
work being carried out, have stepped forward eagerly to be a part of the FoG family. They come to us with happy smiling
faces and bring with them a wealth of knowledge and innovation, taking on existing programs to improve and add value, or
starting brand new ventures to help with the progress of the Foundation. The Foundation always welcomes these fresh eyes
and new ideas, and their varied geographical and experiential backgrounds help us bring together the best ideas from
around the world and inculcate it in our system.

The volunteers who joined us this year have actively helped add value to the Foundation in many different ways. January
brought us some pioneering and valuable volunteers. Laura McKenzie arrived from the UK for a two month stay but fell so
deeply in love with the young children who she taught English to that she extended her stay just so that she could work with
them for longer. In-between the time she spent teaching her students, Laura would cycle across the various FoG facilities
encouraging the staff and the students to also improve their grasp of the language. Pro-active and industrious she was
constantly on the move, persistently looking for opportunities to elevate the standards.

But by far the most important work she did was in preparing a different syllabus to match each different sectors as per their
different vocabulary needs - Diving, Mental Health and Women's Enterprise so a standardized syllabus would be in use
regardless of any change in teachers or volunteers. She also attended to teacher training activities with most of our English
teachers.

Ross Weir and Natalie Scott From the UK also arrived in January and while they volunteered in different areas the biggest
impact they made was in helping to develop the FoG’s sustainability venture, a brand of ready-to-use spice mixes under the
name ‘Gourmet Goodness’. Nat and Ross worked tirelessly at designing packaging and promotional material for this new
venture and they kept up their commitment to the project even after their time volunteering at the FoG premises had ended.
Their hard work and pleasant attitudes still endear them to the fondest memories of the staff.

Ross and Natalie remarked upon their departure that, “We have been very impressed with the work that happens at the
FOG. All aspects of the Foundation from the facilities to the staff to the programs offered have exceeded our expectations ...
Although people in Sri Lanka may not be well off financially they don’t think twice about sharing what they have. Working
with such selfless people has been a really humbling experience”.

James Watson was the first volunteer to arrive in February. James was happy to lend a hand at the English Classes and
sports programs but his passion lay with the Diving Centre. He could frequently be seen treading the familiar and well-worn
path to and from the Diving Centre. An enthusiastic diver himself, he enjoyed working with the Diving Academy and was
always brimming over with ideas for finding ways to add value or to develop the activities there.

James was most impressed by the FoG’s commitment to their programmes, remarking that, “The FoG was amazing. It had a
dream and stuck to it. Any problems were treated as a minor setback. They need to teach this concept to the west”.
Christine Mount who worked with such dedication and commitment when she volunteered with us to work on fundraising and
sustainable incomes conceived many brilliant ideas that could be utilized by the FoG. The idea of the ‘Goodness Store’ was
her brainchild, and she succeeded in organizing a coffee shop owner in nearby Hikkaduwa to display Goodness Brand items
free of cost. She continues to actively raise funds for the FoG since her return to Singapore, and has organized the ‘Unity
Cup’ in October this year to raise money for the FoG.

Mark Nuttall-Smith and Suzanne Uittenbogaard volunteered from the UK but Suzanne excitedly explained that she had
grown up in Sri Lanka as a little girl before she moved away. Mark dived in enthusiastically to help out with the IT and
software courses we conducted and while Suzanne eagerly got involved in all areas she felt her presence needed, her
background of CSR and sustainable development meant she was most enthusiastic in helping the FoG develop their
methods of promotion and communication. She also teamed up with James to develop ideas for the Diving Centre.

During the latter half of February we also had Emma Peplow from the MCC visiting. A Doctoral candidate, Emma was
conducting research on sport, and its role in trauma alleviation by studying the post tsunami sporting activities undertaken by

the Foundation of Goodness.
Nicola Cowap volunteered with us through the month of March, concentrating her effort on the Rebuilding Lives Programme
where she worked with the Psycho-Social Support Team. Through this program she touched the lives of the locals who
needed support as well as young children at orphanages and the aged occupants of a nearby elder’s home, an experience
that undoubtedly has been a heartening one.

“I can truly say it was one of the most enjoyable, interesting projects I have ever been involved in. The foundation does
fantastic work in the community providing education; training and medical support through its many sectors. I just wish I
could have stayed longer! I would truly recommend the Foundation of Goodness as a volunteer project where you can not
only contribute your skills and knowledge to an amazing, sustainable project but also learn a lot in return,” said Nicola.

Andy Smith, Harriet Cornish and Jessica Hawksley (all from the UK) joined us in April. Jessica and Harriet spent their time
helping out at the FoG Medical Centre, the Rainbow Clinic where they assisted Dr Shirley and his medical and
pharmacological team diagnose the steady flow of patients and dispense proper medication to them. They also prepared a
feedback response form for the doctors who leave for the government appointed jobs so that improvements and changes to
our own programme could be made.

Andy helped out with sports development at the FoG Sports Academy and during one of the most enjoyable and memorable
moments of the Children’s Goodness Club’s celebration of the traditional Sinhala and Tamil New Year, Andy decided to join
in the fun and games. Having spent all morning twirling excited children around as they tried climbing his lanky frame like a
tree, in the evening he decided to introduce them to a game of bash the rat with the help of a long plastic water pipe and a
sock-beanbag, auctioning off an original Barmy Army tour t-shirt as a prize to the sports mad young children.

Romy Hebden from Switzerland who had volunteered with us previously was a delightful addition to the FoG’s Colombo
team. Thoughtful and precise, with a smile constantly gracing her face Romy drove straight into the monumental task of
making the FoG’s sustainable income venture of the Gourmet Goodness spice brand ready for launch. Tirelessly working in
collaboration with Helen Brohier from the FoG’s Head Office, she was instrumental in bringing to life the website for Gourmet
Goodness, which even involved in her directing a photo-shoot to get the most mouth-watering pictures of the spices. Her
dedication and motivation meant that she completed a monumental amount of work during her stay, and succeeded in
seeing the website go live just before her departure. Even from afar, Romy still checks in and helps in every way she can, to
perfect the project that she was always so central to.

Elodie Breton and Charline Espada who arrived in late May from France was joined by Inken Schmidt who arrived from
Germany in early June, and together they helped out with the English Classes and at the Pre-School. They could always be
seen playing with the little children, teaching them new games and learning from the little ones just as much as the kids were
learning from them.

Javier Lorente, Veronica Echeverria and Ximena Fernandez are South American students from the American University,
Ringling College of Art & Design and during their visit they travelled all around the villages in the Seenigama region,
participated in the rush of activity and even travelled to the North as a filming crew, and they produced a collection of
beautifully presented short videos about the work that the Foundation was involved in. The videos, as well as an account of
their own experiences can now be found athttp://seelanka.tumblr.com/ by anyone who would like to see their work.

Harry Cowling and Alex Edmonds from Australia helped out at the Sports Academy, bringing new insights about diet and
exercise, and in their spare time they helped out at the pre-school, playing with the children and lending a helping hand
where it was needed. Before taking their leave, they donated four computers to the Aviva Kids’ Computer Lab so that their
presence would still be felt, even long after they were gone.

Following in their example Freddie Turner and Elliot Foster from the UK who volunteered soon after, also donated a
computer to the Aviva Kids’ Computer Lab. Freddie and Elliot spent their time interacting with the Children’s Goodness Club,
English classes and the Sports Academy.

Sanjiv Fernando and Saira Ayub Khan who have been volunteering with us most recently were delighted that they were able
to influence so many different aspects of people’s lives, and expressed their appreciation at the programs made available
the opportunity for people to follow their dreams in so many different directions, be it a Sports Star, a Beautician, an
Electrician, a Bakery Owner, an IT Professional or anything in-between. They also compiled an important leaflet which
promotes the responsibility to take care of the environment to be distributed in the village.

“The volunteer program is good as some volunteers can really benefit FOG and the local community. Volunteers can gain so
much from giving to those who are less fortunate than they are, and learn so much about a foreign culture (in the case of
overseas volunteers)” said Sanjiv, when looking back on his experience. In Colombo, Niomie Anton from France has been
hard at work with sustainablility income generation ventures for the Foundation, incluing developing the BPO’s and finding
new opportunities for fundraising. Niomie always dives in enthusiastically to whatever challenge comes her way, and does
so with a happy smile on her face.

The second volunteer working at the Colombo office really spends half his time in the North. Sivashankar Krishnakumar
from the USA comes to us through the Asia Foundation and is heavily involved with project management work involving the
Murali Harmony Cup 2012 which is scheduled to take place in the North of Sri Lanka in September this year.

All of these volunteers have enriched the numerous FoG programmes that they have assisted with, helping us see different
ways of doing things and bringing with them new ideas and techniques along with a wealth of knowledge. They leave
humbled by the lives they have touched, and awed by the capacity an individual has in changing a community for the better.
Commiting their time, money and hard work they make our dreams their own dreams, and dedicate themselves to making
them come true. We express our most hearfelt gratitude and thanks to the volunteers, the Foundation is the better for having
had them with us, and we know that only greater things lie in their future, for a good heart that gives selflessly can never
come to harm.

"The heart of a volunteer is not measured in size, but by the depth of the commitment to make a
difference in the lives of others." ~DeAnn Hollis